Career twists and turns can sometimes include career breaks! A chance to focus on some different goals. Here Prof Jacqui Webster, Professor of Public Health at the University of Technology Sydney, talks about her year off spent cycling across Europe and Africa and then writing a book about it!
“Sometimes the most meaningful journeys start with a deep breath and a decision to take the next step.”
In 2023, I parked my job to join my partner, Joe, cycling for a year. Leaving our comfortable lives behind, we set off from Morocco in March, carrying everything we needed on touring bikes, with a vague plan to travel up to Spain and then pedal east towards Malaysia.
Whilst we planned the trip together, taking a year off work to cycle was really Joe’s dream. He’d had his two boys when he was 20 so hadn’t travelled much. We’d both been in our jobs a long time and built up long-service leave. But, at 51, I felt fairly settled. I enjoyed my work and was nervous about travelling for a year without meaningful goals.
Setting off from Marrakesh, we had no idea where the journey would take us. Having both been in leadership roles at work, we had to reassess our rules of engagement on the road. Joe’s technological skills and efficiency meant he was always one step ahead with planning. I was frustrated about the idea of just following him around all year. But as we found our rhythm, I found my purpose in documenting the trip through photos and journalling.
Soon, we’d settled into a simple routine and found that getting from A to B each day, finding places to sleep and food to eat, was more than enough. Some days were spectacular. Other days were cruel. When we got to Türkiye, we discovered that we couldn’t get visas for China and were going to have to take two flights to continue east, so we did a complete U-turn and decided to go to Africa.
I’ve always dreamt of travelling in Africa, I just never expected it would be on a bike! Landing in Kigali, Rwanda, we cycled east through Uganda and Kenya, and then south until we reached Cape Town. Finding food and places to stay in Africa was more challenging, but we soon discovered community projects made for meaningful experiences. In Uganda, we chanced upon a guest house linked to Bwindi Community Hospital, which provides much needed services to over 100,000 people in a remote area. In Zambia, we stayed at the Tikondane Community Centre, which was “run by the people of Katete for the people of Katete” and had a series of food projects in response to growing levels of food insecurity. These projects were all addressing issues that I work on as a public health researcher back home, and re-ignited an interest I’ve always had to live and work in Africa.
By the end of the journey, we’d cycled 18,000 kilometres across 30 countries. I returned feeling fitter, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Joe and I had grown stronger together, determined to keep our shared dreams alive and not just get sucked back into the busyness of everyday lives. Not everything has gone to plan and we are still adapting back, but writing the book was a great way of reliving our adventures, as well as a chance to reflect on the resilience of the people we met and the health and environmental challenges we witnessed riding our bikes through Africa.
Two bugs on bikes: Our middle-aged gap year cycling across Europe and Africa, by Jacqui Webster, was published 1 May 2025 by Hembury Books (ISBN: 9781763807792). It is available from Booktopia or Amazon, or can be ordered from your local bookshop or library.